Sunday, January 29, 2017

Five YA novels for politically aware teens

You should read this book only if you like 1) wonderfully relatable characters and 2) speculative fiction about history in the making. Seventeen-year-old Duncan has spent the last few months campaigning with his boyfriend, Jimmy. Now, it looks like their efforts are paying off: America has finally elected its first gay, Jewish president. But when a recount is demanded in Kansas and voters are being disenfranchised left, right, and center, things take a turn for the worse. Duncan sets off at once to join the thousands-strong crowd currently flocking to Kansas to show their support. But between Duncan’s now-rocky relationship with Jimmy and the ongoing protest movement from the opposition party, drama abounds in what is ultimately a tale of life, love, and hope in the face of political turmoil.